Page 20 of Hunted By the Dragon Alien

“You’ll use it,” Takkian said, feeling the fire burn in his throat as he spoke. “If we can draw their attention away, we can get out before they can organize a lockdown. And with Ulo’s strength, we have an advantage.”

“Count me in,” Ulo said, squaring his wide shoulders.

Bruil unfolded from his bunk. “Just…everyone be on your guard. Something about this gives me an uneasy feeling.”

Takkian tapped his arm. Obviously, things could go wrong, and if they did, he’d meet his fate a little soon than he’d like. It was a fate all four of them shared, if they didn’t get out of there soon. But he couldn’t argue with Bruil, either. There was no ignoring the niggle of worry that crawled over his scales, telling him that his last fight was too easy. Too different.

ELEVEN

Takkian

Takkian awoke to the dull hum of fluorescent lights flooding the cell. Sevas lay beside him, still peacefully asleep, her hair a shimmering gold across the mattress. He took a moment to watch her. Her cheeks, although marked by fading bruises, had a soft glow that made him feel the warmth of a fresh start. They’d shared a closeness last sleep cycle, and it had changed something within him. He found himself reluctant to rise, dreading the day ahead.

But the routine of the cycle wouldn’t wait. Soon enough, everyone awoke. Just as it usually was, mechs arrived and herded them down the corridor to washroom stalls, then to the feed line, then back to their cell. Indeed, the cycle began as most did, normally enough.

Takkian began to relax, thinking none of them would have matches, when he heard the unmistakable sound of mechs opening their door.

Two of them waited on the other side. A mechanical voice said, “Takkian, designation 752-X. Sevas, designation 78-S. Report for match preparation. Immediately.”

He looked at Sevas in alarm. She wasn’t fully healed. Usually they were given a spate of rest between matches, especially when they were new, and especially when injured. Apparently, the handlers felt she’d healed enough.

“Both of us?” she whispered.

He pushed himself off the wall and stretched his wings. The ache of muscles and the warmth of her presence still clung to him, but the urgency of the moment chased those thoughts away. “Yes.”

Sevas swallowed hard. “Fine. I won once. I’ll win again.”

“You must.” He stepped toward the door. An unsettling feeling churned in his gut. “No matter what, come back to me.”

“Same to you.” Sevas’ gaze moved over the mech with clear loathing. “What do you think they have planned for us today?”

“Whatever it is, it won’t be kind.” He sensed an undercurrent of danger vibrating through the air. There had been something about the last match that unsettled him. He had a bad feeling that the crowd wasn’t going to be satisfied with normal entertainment today.

Takkian forced himself to focus. He couldn’t afford to slip up, not when Sevas needed him alive and healthy. He cast a quick glance back at Sevas, who stood beside him, chin raised. Her dark eyes gleamed with tough determination, but uncertainty tightened the skin around her eyes. He reached out briefly, brushing her shoulder in a gesture of support. “Stay strong,” he advised, and saw her nod.

They stepped out into the corridor together. The air was heavy and Takkian felt the pulse of dread settle in his stomach. Something about the morning felt off, charged with a dark energy he couldn’t quite name. Maybe it was the way the mechmoved, or perhaps a lingering unease about what awaited them in the arena.

As they walked, the mech led them through the familiar twisting hallways. The scent of sweat and metal mixed with the sharp tang of fear that clung to the walls. Takkian noticed the eyes of the other fighters as they passed—some filled with apprehension, others dimmed by resignation. Would those expressions soon be theirs? He gritted his teeth, pushing away the thought.

Sevas’ lips pressed into a thin line as the mechs led her away, presumably to the waiting area where she’d have to stand until his match ended. She’d have to listen to the sounds that came through the door until her turn.

Takkian shook out his limbs and stretched for the long moments until the heavy door leading to the pit slowly opened. Sounds—cheers, shouts, wild howls—exploded into a cacophony that filled the air, pressing down like a physical force. Takkian stepped through.

The announcer’s voice boomed across the arena, dragging his attention forward. “Welcome, fighters!” It echoed through the grand expanse, bouncing off the cold walls, instilling a rising tension in the air. “Prepare for today’s first match!”

Takkian’s breath caught. Sand shifted under his feet. Blood and sweat from the previous cycle’s matches had been cleared away, leaving the walls clean and the sand white. Weapons piled in the center of the pit, but none of that mattered. All of it faded to nothing.

Across the pit was Sevas. She stood on the other side, so small. Her bright hair whipped around her shoulders, catching the light, a dazzling color against the grim backdrop of the arena. Then, she saw him.

She dropped to her knees on a cry.

The crowd roared with excitement. Takkian’s heart raced and his stomach dropped as everything suddenly made sense.

They were to fight each other.

That meant only one thing in his mind—somehow, the officials, or the handlers, or thefekkingmechs had learned about their plans to escape.

His gaze met hers. Everything slowed down to a panicked smear. The roar of the crowd, the scent of blood and sweat—it was nothing. Nothing.

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